Campaign of the Month:
March 2014

Gotham Reborn

Episode 017

Show Opener

We open this week on a shot of the former Gotham Square. Over a dozen armed men stand ready around the square and another half-dozen are seen patrolling the parameter. Razor wire runs criss-cross between buildings and rubble has been cleared away and used to fortify surrounding buildings. In the center of the square sits a large military style tent with two guards posted outside the front flap.

Then a thunder-crack roars and a flaming comet streaks out of the sky, crashing in front of the tent. Alarms sound instantly and dozens of assault rifles are quickly pointed at the source of the disturbance. From inside the crater we hear a voice, “Ouch.”

From the front of the tent emerges Arsenal, shotgun in hand. He trots quickly to the edge of the crater and glances down. “Oh shit.” He says but before he can even raise his shotgun a hooked chain shoots from inside the crater, wraps around his gun, and pulls it from his hands. Another voice, female this time, says “Calm yourself Virgil. We’re friends.”

Arsenal looks skeptical but knowing that even with all his men these two easily outclass him he says, “Why are you here?” From the crater first steps the black and white intergalactic biker bounty hunter, Lobo. The Czarnian powersuit missing from his attire follows behind him, this time in a shapely female form. The woman walks up to Arsenal and the visor peels back to reveal Talia al Ghul.

“I convinced by partner that we should return to Earth as I felt it was only appropriate to thank you for introducing the two of us. The last few months have been extremely… interesting for us.”, Talia explains.

" I don’t think I could handle another one of HIS Thank-Yous.", Arsenal replies.

“Oh, but this one comes from me. Not him.” Talia say as she pulls something out from her suit. She offers the silver flask to Arsenal who turns it over in his hands.

“Is this what I think it is?”, he asks.

“A gift from the Head of the Demon to you, Virgil Black.”, Talia says as the show fades into the title sequence.

Title Screen

Then the title card for this episode comes up, a broken, rusted, and bloody Batarang with the words Gotham Nights in the lower right corner. The opening montage features scenes of Bane cracking Batman across his knee. The Singularity being slammed through a building by Lobo. Man-O-War’s terrified look as he’s boom-tubed away with Bane. The Specter laying in a hospital bed coughing up blood. The Merlin crashing into Gotham Harbor after being blasted out of the sky by Black Adam. Nighthawk being stabbed through the heart by Deathstroke. Calliope being fighting Wayne Securities as they force her onto a boat. The screen fades to black and blood begins to drip down. The episode title fades in over the bright red blood, “Visitors”.

Visitor #1: Green Lantern (Man-O-War)

The show returns from commercial break on a shot of Arkham Asylum. A team of men work to repair the damaged wall but in the warden’s window we see Man-o-War watching them work. The show cuts to the interior of his office where Oswald Cobblepot sits across from Adam’s desk.

Tilt: Man-o-War and Penguin reach an agreement and shake on it. Then a blinding green light flashes and there are cries from outside. Man-o-War darts to his window just in time to be knocked backwards as a green bolt of energy crashes into him.

Man-o-War looks up just in time to see the Green Lantern standing in the ruins of his desk with Penguin’s neck clenched between his fingers. “It’s cool. I got this one, bro.” Guy Gardner says as he punched Penguin in the face, breaking his nose and causing blood to splatter Man-o-War’s office. The scene then fades out.

Visitor #2: Doctor Face (Nighthawk)

The show then cuts to a small boy sitting in a dark room. He has his covers’s pulled up over his head and he’s shaking. The door to his room opens and the light shadows a woman who steps into the room. She steps over to the edge of the bed and sits down next to the small boy.

“Darling, I found a new night light for you.” She whispers to the boy.

Cautiously he lowers the blanket and looks at the night light his mother is handing to him. He reaches out, hands shaking, and takes the small plastic light from her. He then looks up and smiles at her.

“It’s the lighthouse we saw on the harbor.”, the boy says, recognizing the shape of the light.

“That’s right, and that light will always guide you home.”, she says.

The scene cuts to Steven Kyle tossing in his sleep before a knock on his door wakes him up. “Get out here quick. The light’s back on.” Selina says.

Steven climbs out of bed and quickly pulls on a shirt before rushing out the door. He makes his way up the stairs and to the lighthouse rooftop. Sure enough the light is on but the bulb has stopped rotating. The beam of light tears a path through the No Man’s Land. Steven looks out across the darkness, “It’s pointing at Scarab Street…” he says under his breath.

“I don’t give a shit where it’s pointing”, Selina says, “It’s saying we have power and are making ourselves a target. We need to get this light off.”

Tilt: After exhausting every possible mechanical source of power, Selina tells Steven to just zap it with his Shadow magic. Reluctantly, Nighthawk does and the light flares into a golden aura that rolls out across the roof. Steven jumps backwards and looks around, he sees Selina frozen in place and a quick glance down from the lighthouse shows a still No Man’s Land. Fires have stopped flickering and patrols have frozen in place.

“Steven Kyle Garrett. Student of the Arcane Arts of Light and Dark. Hear my words.”, a deep booming voice echoes out from the lighthouse bulb.

“Who are you? What have you done?”, Steven asks.

“I go by many names and I have not the energy, time, or patience to elaborate. There are pressing matter’s at hand regarding your future, Steven Kyle Garrett. For now, you may simply call be Nabu.”

The scene fades out.

Visitor #3: Superboy (Batman)

The show then cuts to the underground Cadmus instillation that Dominique Dane is still exploring. She makes her way from room to room only to find the entire facility abandoned. Desk have been neatly moved into storage and stacked up. Walls are bare showing discoloration from years of cabinets covering them. Despite having power the entire place has a eerie, sterile but abandoned feeling.

In hopes of finding and salvaging the generators, Dominique makes her way into one of the laboratories and finds large glass tanks, currently empty except for dust. Her face distorts as she grows ill at the site of the building and is about to turn and leave when a marked door catches her eye. It’s a large circular seal, similar to a bank vault, with the words “Kryptonian Research” painted in large block letters.

Curious, at both the contents and challenge, she makes he way over to the vault and begins looking for the “In.”

Tilt: After bypassing the locks, Dominique manages to pull the massive door open just far enough to contort her way into the chamber. The room is dark, the light in here must not have came on with the rest of the facility. Just as she slides into the room she hears a sudden rasping deep inhalation, like a drowning man sucking in precious air after surfacing.

Before she can even call out she feels someone slam her into the vault door. The force is strong enough to break the the massive door off from the hinges and launch it across the laboratory. A emaciated man, roughly around Dominique’s age, holder her by the shoulder’s and speaks softly into her face.

“What have you done to me?”, he asks.

Dominique’s eyes go wide, “But… Doomsday killed you.”

The scene then fades to black.

Visitor #4: Batman (Specter)

Finally the show cuts to the Monarch Theater where Specter is sitting at a desk cross from Ragdoll. The small cramped office is unadorned except for a mannequin displaying Ragdoll’s old costume that stands in a corner.

“Before I can make any moves I really need to make sure what you’re doing in legitimate here.”, Specter is saying.

“I assure you, we are only entertainer here.”, Ragdoll replies.

“Then you’ll have no problems with my associates checking out your basement, will you?”, Specter replies.

“An insult! I’ll not allow it on principle!”, Ragdoll exclaims

Specter looks mildly annoyed…

Tilt: The show cuts to an annoyed Specter leaving the Monarch Theater. He walks across the street, straight up to Huntress and says, “Ragdoll’s being a tool. We’ll have to go behind his back and search. Slip in, stay quite, and don’t get caught. I’ve got to get back to the Narrows before the place burns itself down.”

Huntress nods and the two part ways. Specter ducks down an alley, rounds a couple corners, and then hears a familiar voice from the shadows. “I am surprised you even talked to him first, Darren.”

Recognition of the voice flashes across Specter’s face and he turns towards the shadows it came from, “Nightwing, I thought you were in Bludhaven.”

“I was, but an old friend called in a favor I couldn’t refuse. Now, I’m here to ask a favor of you.”, Nightwing replies.

“Name it, I’ll do my best.”, Specter replies.

“I need you to help me find Dominique Dane.”, Nightwing says.

“Why are you looking for her?”, Specter replies.

Nightwing steps from the shadows and Specter almost reels backwards when he seems him, “What are you wearing?”

“I took the Mantle when Dominique abandoned it.”, a new Batman replies.